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Pints is the first story of this very romantic anthology. It brings us the story of two lonely people who work in a blood processing center. Eliza stays late one night, avoiding rush hour traffic, and she meets Anders, the night janitor. Eliza and Anders begin developing a relationship that soon blossoms into something deeper. However, Anders holds a secret that may change things for them.
In Between Earth And Sky, the second story in the anthology, Anne suffers an accident while hiking and she gets stranded. When she thought there may be no hope a stranger finds her. Jacob had been taking some time off, staying in a small lodge, when he found Anne almost at his doorstep. As he nurses Anne back to health they get to know each other better, and soon find themselves enjoying the time they are spending together, away from civilization.
The third story is Abigail's Archer. Reluctantly, Abigail dor Richard went to serve as King's Archer cook along with her sister, Barbara. While Barbara was thrilled, Abbie had been saddened at leaving their parents' inn. One hot summer afternoon, as Abbie was gathering spent arrows in the forest, she meets William, one of the King's Archers. Initially attracted to each other, Abbie and William start developing a friendship that soon drives them one step further.
The fourth story in this anthology brings us an encounter between two office mates, in Office Mating. Friends and colleagues first and foremost, the two main characters had never crossed the line before, despite the fact that they had been working together for a while and had been attracted to each other. In this story the author keeps the characters anonymous.
The fifth story is titled Real Magic. Robin is celebrating her 30th birthday and she thinks that having a magician as the entertainment at the party is weird, however, her friend Heather doesn't seem to think that there is anything wrong with that. Robin has to admit that Nicolae Gray is good, not to mention attractive. When she gets home that night, he knocks on her door, apparently his top hat, the one he used for his act, is in her apartment. How that happened, she had no clue, but the hat is there. Curious about it, she invites Nicolae in; little does she suspect that her life was about to change.
The closing story in this charming anthology is the fairy-tale-like The Dark Prince. Princess Mallorie is cursed by a fairy due to a mistake her father made. Widowed twice, because of the curse, she is kidnapped and wedded by the Dark Prince. The Dark Prince himself is cursed and he knows the Princess is his only hope.
Soulful Sex: Erotic Tales Of Fantasy And Romance is Diana Laurence's first title published in the Citoré line of newcomer publisher New Age Dimensions. I found this anthology to be very romantic, as it brings the reader six stories that are strongly relationship oriented. The anthology covers three different categories: paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary, which certainly makes it appealing to all romance lovers. Each short story is carefully crafted and the atmosphere in each one is nicely done, particularly on the fantasy stories. In the erotic department, and as a fan of erotic romance and erotica myself, I must say that, if you are looking for an intensely erotic read, this book may not meet your expectations. It is much more relationship oriented, centering on the meaningful aspect of physical love, than on the act itself. However, if what you are looking for is a satisfying, charming and heartwarming romantic read, Soulful Sex certainly delivers. I found this anthology to be quite enjoyable and do intend to read Ms. Laurence's future titles.
Reviewed by Mireya Orsini
for The Road to Romance
April 28, 2004
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